While they finished up, Egypt glanced around the first floor. She took in the entire space from her spot near the dining table, and her attention landed on the fireplace. Her breath caught.
He hung my picture?
The realization hit her like an arrow to the heart, sending goose bumps racing over her skin. That had to be the most thoughtful thing anyone had ever done for her. If Kenton hadn’t already had a special spot in her heart, this kind gesture would have sealed it.
Tearing her eyes from the picture, she headed to what she knew would be her favorite room in the house—the chef’s kitchen. She gawked around in awe, marveling at the quartz countertops, white cabinets, and top of the line stainless steel appliances. My dream kitchen. She ran a hand along the sleek handles of the double ovens. This had to be for show. Kenton wasn’t much of a cook.
“Okay, I think that’s it.” Dakota put her hands on her hips and nodded to Journey. The pair stood back and admired their handiwork for a moment. Then Dakota turned to Egypt. “Now, let’s discuss Kenton.”
“Dee, don’t start. This—”
“If you want him, you’re going to have to make it clear and go for it,” she said, ignoring Egypt’s protest.
Dakota always spoke her mind. She and Journey knew how much Egypt cared about Kenton and had always wondered why she shot down his advances. Now that he knew about her past, and still seemed interested, Egypt would love to pursue a relationship with him. But in light of Pisano being in Atlanta and Egypt being unsure of what to do next, the last thing she needed was to get any more serious with Kenton.
“Now is probably not a good time,” she said to her friends. “I have too much—”
“I’m not trying to hear excuses. I want you to finally have what Journey and I have found—the love of a good man.” Dakota shrugged into a short denim jacket that matched her distress jeans. The gray, long-sleeved T-shirt she wore looked as if she had a ball—bigger than a basketball, but smaller than a beach ball—tucked beneath it. “For months, I have watched you and Kenton together. You guys are closer than some married people. It’s time you stop fighting the inevitable.”
“I rarely agree with Dee, but this time she’s right,” Journey added. “The heat between you and Kenton is intense. And I know for a fact he’d do anything for you, and I believe that works both ways.”
That was true. Egypt could count on Kenton, and there was nothing she wouldn’t do for him. But did that mean they should take their relationship to the next level right now?
“Whatever is really going on that has put you two under the same roof, take advantage of it. Life is too short, E,” Dakota said. “If you want him, go for it. You don’t want to look back with regrets about what could’ve been between you two. And another thing, the man is hot. He ain’t gon’ chase you forever. Some of the women at the dojo have been checking him out, and those witches are aggressive.”
Yeah, Egypt already knew about some of the women vying for Kenton’s attention. On occasion, he taught self-defense classes at Dakota’s dojo, and Egypt had witnessed a few women hitting on him. Kenton took the attention in stride, never seeming interested, but what if the harmless flirting turned into something more?
“You need to let him know without a doubt that he belongs to you,” Dakota said with conviction.
“Dee, I’m not you. I—”
“You don’t have to be like me. Just make sure he knows that you’re interested in more than a friendship.”
When Dakota met Hamilton, she hadn’t been shy about her interest and had pursued him full force. Egypt wasn’t shy, but her limited experience with men made her awkward around them. She didn’t possess the same self-confidence and take no prisoners boldness as Dakota.
Kenton trotted down the stairs loudly. “Why are you two still here?”
“Yeah, yeah, we’re going. You know how this woman is,” Journey said pulling on Dakota’s arm and heading to the front door.
“E, remember what I said,” Dakota yelled before the door closed behind them.
Kenton had changed out of his work clothes and into a tan T-shirt and blue jeans, looking too tempting for words. “Do I even want to know what that was about?”
“Nah, just girl talk,” Egypt answered a bit too quickly, aware of how he filled the room and that ache in her heart.
Dakota was right. Egypt didn’t want to wake up years from now regretting that she didn’t follow through on this romance with Kenton. He was everything she could ever want in a man, a partner, a husband. She had to go for what she wanted. Now.
But with her lack of experience, she just wasn’t quite sure how to go about doing that.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kenton put the last forkful of fettuccine alfredo into his mouth, thinking about how Dakota and Journey had hooked him up. When he came up with the dinner idea, he knew he wanted Italian food, something Egypt loved, as well as her favorite dessert. But Kenton hadn’t considered wine, music, or more importantly—candles, something he didn’t own. Now the flickering flames illuminated the table and enhanced the romantic vibe he’d been going for. They also cast just enough light for him to admire the beautiful woman sitting next to him.
“Ready for dessert?” he asked, wiping his mouth with the cloth napkin, something else he wouldn’t have thought to get.
“What did you have in mind?” Egypt’s suggestive tone had Kenton cocking his head, looking at her through narrowed eyes to determine if again he was reading too much into her words tonight.
For the past forty-five minutes, they’d had great conversation, discussing everything from movies, music, and even sports. Egypt was one of few women he knew who followed professional football, as well as basketball. But her flirtatious comments and the seductive glint in her alluring eyes during dinner had caught him off guard.
He had intentionally stayed away from suggestive topics, not wanting to come on strong or make her uncomfortable. He had also decided that he’d take things nice and slow in the early stages of their relationship, especially while they were staying under the same roof. But now, if the signals he was picking up were accurate, she was interested in more than just a romantic dinner tonight.
Kenton moved his chair around to Egypt’s side of the table, bringing them close enough to touch lips. He wrapped his arm around her and brushed his mouth over hers. Then lowered his voice. “As for dessert, I was talking about strawberry shortcake, but if you’d prefer something different, maybe something a little more decadent just say the word.”
Egypt stared at him for the longest moment, a spark of interest radiating in her eyes, but then she burst out laughing. Falling against him and slapping the table with her hand as if Steve Harvey had just told her a joke.
“What the hell is so funny?”
“You,” she said, barely getting the word out around her laughter. “God, you crack me up.”
“I wasn’t trying to be funny. I was going for sexy, charming, and maybe irresistible, but definitely not funny. It’s a good thing I’m not sensitive since you’re all up in here laughing in my face.”
That only made her crack up more, tears brimming her eyes as she doubled over in the chair, struggling to catch her breath.
This was how Kenton wanted her—carefree and happy. He wanted to keep her laughing, hoping she’d forget about her past and be the lighthearted, cheerful woman he had fallen for.
“Are you done?” he asked in mock disgust, unable to hide the smile pushing its way through.
She giggled and brushed away a couple of tears. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh at your seductive efforts, but man, you need to work on your game.”
“Wait. You callin’ my game lame?”
“Aaand as for dessert,” she cupped his cheek, her mouth less than an inch from his, “why don’t we make the strawberry shortcake and then see where that leads.” Her voice had dropped an octave and the seductive smile on her face was beyond evocative.
Kenton chuck
led and moved his chair back to where it was, trying to ignore the way she made his dick twitch. “See, when you say and do shit like that, tempting me with your words and sexy voice, you need to understand something. You’re playin’ with fire.”
“Well, if you’d get your mind out of the gutter, my words and voice would be a non-issue.”
Chuckling, Kenton extended his hand to Egypt and led her into the kitchen. Little did she know, it wasn’t only her words that turned him on, it was the whole package. Her beauty. Her caring nature and the fact that she could throw down in the kitchen were only a few of her qualities he found endearing. She also laughed at his jokes. What man wouldn’t fall for a woman who laughed at his jokes?
“I hope you know how to put this cake together because I don’t have a clue.” Kenton opened the refrigerator and pulled out the angel food cake, huge strawberries that had been sliced and placed in a glass dish, and whipped cream. “What else do you need? A plate? Bowl?”
Egypt thought for a moment. “If you have more of those large wine glasses, we can use those.”
Kenton frowned but pulled down a glass from the top shelf of the cabinet. “You’re going to put cake in a wine glass?”
“We are going to.”
“I think I’m going to pass. Just make one for you.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it and got to work on her dessert. She started with the strawberries, putting a few in the glass. Next came cake and then the whipped cream. She repeated the process until the glass was full.
“You sure you don’t want some?” she asked, grabbing a spoon from the utensil drawer. Then they headed back to the table.
“Not right now, but you go ahead. Tell me how it is.”
Kenton picked up his wine and drained the glass, but knew he’d need something stronger with the way Egypt was moaning.
Damn, she was killing him tonight. Surely the cake wasn’t all that.
“Oh my goodness. This is sooo good. You have to try some.” Egypt cut a piece of the cake with her fork and held it out to him, a twinkle sparkling in her eyes.
Yeah, she really was fucking with him, but damn if he didn’t like this side of her.
“Open up,” she said sweetly.
Leaning forward, Kenton stared into her eyes and did as instructed, allowing her to insert the fork into his mouth. He closed his lips around the utensil, and the sweet taste of strawberries, cake, and whipped cream melted on his tongue.
He didn’t know what she was thinking, but the way her eyes zoned in on his mouth as she slowly pulled back the fork, told him all he needed to know.
She wanted him.
“You’re right, that is good. You know what would make it better?”
Egypt gulped, eyeing him warily as she set the fork on the table. “No. What would make it better?”
Kenton covered her hand with his before taking her finger and dipping it into the whipped topping. Egypt gasped. Without a word, he brought her long, slender finger to his mouth and slid his lips over the first two joints, allowing his tongue to swirl around the digit.
He loved the way she squirmed in her seat as he licked, teased, and sucked the cream off her finger, as he got caught up in the taste of her sweetness. He didn’t miss the pool of heat in her eyes and the way her pupils dilated, which only made him want to taste the rest of her.
He pulled back to the tip, swirling his tongue again before removing her finger from his mouth. “Yeah, that was much better.”
Egypt cleared her throat and slowly eased her hand from his. “Um…alrighty then. How ‘bout um…let’s um…How about that tour?”
Now Kenton was the one laughing. “See, sweetheart. You ain’t ready for all of this, but when you are, I’ll be right here waiting for you.”
*
After showing Egypt the man cave and game room, located in the walkout basement, Kenton escorted her back to the first floor.
“Why such a big house?” Egypt asked.
“I’m a big guy. I already told you when I bought the truck, I don’t like anything small.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right,” she said dryly, rolling her eyes.
“Come on. Let me show you the alarm system.” They headed upstairs. The panel was near the door that led out to the garage. Not only did Supreme provide personal security, but they also installed and monitored home security systems.
“I didn’t realize you had the maverick 2000,” Egypt said of one of their latest residential systems that the tech team had designed.
“Yeah, it works just like the system at the office, just not as grand. There are two keypads, this one and the one on the top floor near my bedroom.”
Egypt knew the basics, but Kenton went through some of the features anyway, pressing a button that brought up the security camera in the backyard, and then the one on the side of the house. For the next few minutes, he explained more than she’d probably ever need to know regarding the system.
Egypt released a noisy yawn then quickly covered her mouth. “Sorry.” She gave him an apologetic look.
“No worries. It’s been a long day. Come on. I’ll show you where you’re sleeping. They headed upstairs.
“How many bedrooms do you have?”
“Four, and three and a half bathrooms.” They stopped at the first bedroom at the top of the stairs.
“Pretty room,” she said, moving farther into the space.
“My youngest sister, Chelsey, decorated it. She uses this room occasionally when she’s not in school, but she won’t be back until Thanksgiving.”
“She’s at the University of Georgia in Athens, right?”
Kenton nodded, surprised she remembered. Egypt had met his younger sister over a year ago, but not the other two.
He watched as she moved around the room. Chelsey had done a good job with the décor. She and Egypt had similar styles, preferring bold colors. The space was decorated in taupe, white, brown with splashes of orange with the throw pillows and pictures hanging on the wall.
“Feel free to change anything you want. If you need furniture moved around, just let me know.” He wanted her to be as comfortable as possible, hoping that she’d forget about her situation, even if only for a little while.
“Everything is exquisite.”
“If that’s the case, you’re going to love the bathroom.” They moved to the en-suite. At first, Kenton had thought the lavishly decorated bathroom, in the same colors as the bedroom, with a sparkly chandelier, and an oversized soaking tub, were overkill. Now that Egypt would be using the space, he was glad he had agreed to the renovations.
“Wow, you’re right. I love the bathroom, and I cannot wait to take a bath. This is my dream tub,” she said, running her hand along the freestanding chrome faucet hovering over the tub.
“All right, then I’ll leave you to it. Unless of course, you need me to wash your back…or any other part of your body,” he said, leaning against the door jamb.
Egypt glanced over her shoulder, flashing him that playful smile she’d been tossing his way throughout the evening. “You have been extremely accommodating today. Tell you what. I’ll holler if I need you,” she said, batting those long eyelashes, her saccharine smile stirring something deep inside of him.
Damn, I’ve got it bad.
Hours later, Kenton lounged in his man cave, a beer in one hand and the TV remote in the other. An Atlanta Hawks preseason game covered the 55-inch screen mounted on the wall, but Kenton’s mind was everywhere but on the game. Egypt had that type of impact on him. The woman already had a special spot in his heart, but tonight, how she flirted with him on a sly, had him thinking about getting her naked.
“That’s the last thing she needs right now,” he grumbled and took another long drag on his beer. What Egypt needed was for him to be a gentleman while she was under his roof and a friend she could count on. There were moments throughout the night that he couldn’t believe she was actually in his house. Sure, she had been to his condo a
few times when he had everyone over, but this was different. It was just the two of them, and all he had to do was keep his head and not think about all he wanted to do with her smoking hot body.
Kenton sighed and dropped his head against the leather sofa. It was going to be a long ass night if he couldn’t go five minutes without thinking about her. It didn’t help that he knew she was upstairs taking a bath. His dick twitched just thinking about her long sinewy body stretched out in the large soaking tub, bubbles gracing every inch of...
He shook his head. The woman had him horny as hell. “I’m so screwed.”
Kenton finished his beer and turned off the television. It had been a long day, and he couldn’t wait to fall face first into bed. While thinking about plans for the next couple of days, he went through the house, making sure it was locked up and the alarm system armed. Tonight had been about spending time with Egypt and taking her mind off the Pisano situation and the meddling FBI. Tomorrow he’d discuss with her how the protection detail would go.
Kenton shut off the light in the kitchen and headed up the stairs, inhaling as Egypt’s scent of lavender and vanilla wafted past his nose. He stopped and released a low groan, a dizzying current of need soaring through his body. If her fragrance turned him on like this, he was in more trouble than he originally thought.
In the past when he needed sexual release, he’d call up Shelly, but he had ended their friends-with-benefits relationship months ago. Shortly after deciding that he wanted Egypt or no one. And since he was trying to be a perfect gentleman, Egypt was out of the question. He was going to have to get himself off if he planned to make it through the night.
Kenton sighed and continued up the stairs, but came to an abrupt stop when smooth, mocha legs came into view on the top landing. Long, shapely legs. Forever legs. His gaze roamed up her body, taking in firm thighs, tiny boy-shorts encasing shapely hips, and a thin V-neck T-shirt that failed to hide big breasts and perky nipples.
Mercy.
He stood gawking, his heart in his throat and his dick, hard as granite, pressing painfully against his zipper. Kenton knew she had an incredible body, but seeing it like this, barely covered, was almost too much to handle. If this was how she dressed around the house, his life was going to be a living hell for the unforeseeable future.
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